The Different Generations of Recruiting Operations
Each generation of Recruiting Operations professionals has contributed unique approaches and characteristics to the field. These individuals have shaped the profession and built it into what we know it today. I understand that discussing generational differences can be a sensitive topic:
I'm not referring to age or intergenerational conflicts.
Instead, I’m referring to the first RecOps practitioners, the current professionals, and those who are starting out now. Analyzing these similarities and differences can help us better understand the diverse perspectives that have strengthened, and will continue to enhance, Recruiting Operations as a whole.
RecOps: An Origin Story
RecOps is a relatively new field, only emerging formally within the last 10-15 years as modern recruiting grew in complexity. As companies began to rely more on data-driven recruitment strategies and automated hiring tools, the need for specialized operations teams to manage these processes became apparent.
One of the early pioneers of RecOps was Etsy, the online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods. In 2010, Etsy's recruiting team created a dedicated operations role to help streamline and optimize their hiring processes. The success of this approach inspired other companies to follow suit, and RecOps has since become a growing field in the tech industry and beyond.
How many generations of RecOps professionals are there? Why do you call them “generations”?
There are two distinct generations, with a third likely coming in the next 5-10 years. Borrowing from historians, it felt better to call these generations over camps, groups, or something similar.
Generation One
With no people specializing in RecOps at the time, companies rushed to hire individuals who could fill the new position, even if in name only. Often companies went out and recruited from three major pools:
Management or business consultants who had advised them in the past
Converted an in-house recruiter looking for a new challenge but had solid organization and an eye for new technologies
Former Heads of TA with start-up experience
With their background in Recruiting, this first generation focused on standardizing processes that would help Recruiters work more efficiently at finding the right people for the roles. This made sense since this new RecOps position allowed them to correct problems that they personally faced and the opportunity to design their ideal process. So, they went and found tools to fit specific issues (e.g., sourcing, job boards) that increased the power of the individual recruiter. In turn, this also meant focusing on converting Recruiting Coordinators into Recruiters since Recruiters were consistently moving out. While data was important, significant deviations between roles were acceptable, provided the company got the right candidate.
Generation Two
These professionals primarily originated from two primary groups: recruiting coordination and program management. Although many did not aspire to become recruiters, they were still passionate about enhancing the recruitment process and improving the interviewer/candidate experience. As a result, they honed their craft by focusing on system optimization, data analysis, and process improvement to drive greater efficiency and output.
Identifying and addressing the root causes of issues throughout the recruitment process and candidate journey became Gen 2’s focus. Instead of addressing symptoms (e.g., candidates seem to complain about interviewer preparedness), more of a focus became the systems that allowed those problems to persist (i.e., a lack of interviewer skills training meant interviewers don’t know what to do). This system thinking also led Gen 2 to design and think more in silos since they are keenly aware of the data each silo could measure and their interconnectedness.
So what are some similarities and differences between Gen 1 and Gen 2?
It is essential to understand that there hasn’t been a specific cutaway between these two groups. It isn’t that Gen 2 started, and suddenly there couldn’t be new Gen 1 folks. Instead, it explains a mindset pivot and a different approach to resolving RecOps problems.
Similarities between the group include a fondness for the latest tools, a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), a love of continuous improvement, and a singular goal of improving recruiting.
Where they differ can be very subtle. For example, Gen 1 solutions lean towards the individuals, while Gen 2 focuses more on the systems. A recruiter might actively accept a Gen 1 solutions because of similar backgrounds. Since many Gen 2 folks didn’t recruit, the solutions they derive can be viewed as theoretical by recruiters or they may struggle to express the importance of a solution. Another example is Gen 2 folks often design complex and automated solutions that might only require one or two tools. For the same solution, a Gen 1 might want to rehash a full tool stack or processes they implemented at another company which might not work for the new one. Gen 1 might view things more broadly, Gen 2 might view items in a silo. Lastly, because of the differing backgrounds, Gen 1 might approach a solution top-down whereas Gen 2, after years of coordination and familiarity working with specific hiring teams, might approach a solution from the bottom up.
Where do you find Gen 1 and Gen 2 RecOps Leaders?
While you can find Gen 1 and Gen 2 folks across companies of all sizes, specific industries tend to look for one over the other. For example, large companies (5000+) and financial companies tend to prefer Gen 1 RecOps Leaders because of matrixed leadership and interoffice politics that require a deft hand to navigate. Gen 2 folks tend to be found in smaller companies (pre- or immediately post-IPO) and tech, where rapid innovation and doing more with less play a bigger role.
So what about Generation Three?
This group will help shape Recruiting tremendously and differently. This group will have distinct memories of the pandemic, two waves of massive layoffs, largely remote or hybrid work environments, and fundamentally understanding key issues before Gen 1 and Gen 2 even realize they are happening. This group will likely be used to working with less but more interconnected solutions and understanding how to pop the hood on a tool to code in new improvements. Think technologists with a human touch since, while many might have originated from the same backgrounds as Gen 1 and 2, the new generation will likely come from former software engineers and technical product managers.
Tying it All Together
Whether you are a Gen 1 or Gen 2 RecOps leader, it's essential to recognize that both approaches are valid and have unique strengths. As the field continues to evolve, I'm excited to see where the next generation of RecOps practitioners will take it. I'm confident that they will continue to enhance and strengthen the field.
Disclaimer: The views expressed and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company. Assumptions made in the analysis are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author. Since we are critically-thinking human beings, these views are always subject to change, revision, and rethinking at any time. Please do not hold them in perpetuity.
